Violet Dreams
by jureez
Summary: Drama something something on Kira and Athrun.
1. Chapter 1

It was raining heavily outside the classroom. Dark clouds hung low up in the sky's vast ceiling. The cement walls became cold. 'This isn't a normal weather condition.' Kira thought. Rains generally raise the humidity level at their place and it makes the air sultry. But this one was different. He didn't mind the rain anyway. He just listened to the endless splattering of chickpea-sized raindrops on the windowpane beside him for it sounded good to his ears. The sound of falling rain was monotonous and it drove him to sleep. 

'Mr. Yamato wake up!" the physics professor casually said trying to rouse Kira from his slumber.

'Can' you see I'm sleeping?' Kira replied while waving his right hand purposefully to shoo away the person interrupting his sleep.

Not two seconds passed by and he felt a bamboo stick whacked heavily on his head. The whacking did the trick of waking him up – fully. Kira opened his eyes and rubbed them with the back of his hand. He instinctively made a quick gaze around the room only to find out that all his classmates' eyes and his prof's were fixed upon him.

'Mr. Yamato! It is the just the first day of the first semester and you are starting to show qualities that I never expected seeing in a person like you. Your teacher spoke highly of you but now I think she is mistaken. She said that you were smart and all. But ever since I laid my eyes upon you I know that you are just a worthless little prat!' drawled the professor.

'I am very sorry ma'am,' said the now-ashamed boy while he sat in a more appropriate angle.

'Normally Mr. Yamato, I don't accept apologies. But can you kindly explain the general theory of relativity in front of the class. You see, the class was interrupted because someone was heavily "snoring",' the professor said with a sharp tongue. The class on the other hand, didn't pay attention to the professor's castigation on the brunette newcomer fearing that they too might get a taste of their professor's wrath. They are only too aware of the professor's well-earned reputation of sending her students to the hospital with tae kwon do. She doesn't like to be interrupted while she is discussing something in front of class. Why she is so irritable, nobody knows just why.

When Kira was about to stand up and dolefully recite an everlasting litany on the theory of relativity, a gentle hand pushed him back to his seat. Kira managed to around and look at the face of the person. A wave of positive energy greeted him. The owner of the hand was –

'This person has near-perfect facial features just like me. His facial bone structure is symmetrical. The mane of azure hair and the pair of olivinic eyes greatly complements the pale skin.' Kira analyzed. From the guy's face, his inquisitive eyes went down. 'His sturdy posture indicates of well-developed limbs. That is why has this air of confidence around him. I can feel it. And he's…he's…taller than me. Maybe an inch or two.' 'He is a coordinator no doubt about it. _At pinasadya siya sa gentetic engineers sa PLANTS.'_ Kira revealed his findings mentally in his Filipino vernacular. 'Indicating that he comes from an affluent coordinator family.'

"_Pero tao lang din siya katulad ko. May pagkakapantay lahat ng tao sa mundong ibabaw." _Then Kira marked this person as an equal.

'Hi!' the guy jovially greeted, then turned his face towards his stern professor.

'Ms. Badgiruel...please don't be too hard on him. He's just a transferee and has no idea of well...what you can do. It wouldn't be a nice site of a newcomer to be wrapped in bandages tomorrow would it?' defended the kind intruder.

'Yes Athrun Zala. I know my limitations. Now sit down,' the prof replied grimly.

'Okay.' said Athrun and he occupied the vacant seat next to Kira. The brunette on the other hand was happy that he wasn't going to attend classes tomorrow "wrapped in bandages". Outside, the rain had already subsised and went on as a gentle spray of water droplets causing the light rays to be refracted and form a rainbow. This greeted Kira's eyes and he considered it as a good omen for things to come in his life. He didn't notice that while he was staring at the rainbow, the person next to him was gazing at his appearance. The sunlight apparently hit Kira's face so it was illuminated for him to clearly take it in his memory. 'His face looks so tranquil,' Athrun thought and then focused his attention back to the discussion before hi seat mate would begin to notice.

The whacking scenario earlier proved to be too much for Kira to handle. He was ashamed of himself for dozing off in class. When the bell rang, he hastily shoved his notebooks into his weather-worn-and-ancient-looking-but-still-usable bag and headed straight for the door. Athrun attempted to engage him in a conversation but Kira didn't mind him and strode past without even acknowledging his presence.

In all actuality, he wanted to escape from his classmates' line of vision who didn't care if their new classmate will be knocked out in front of them by their teacher. 'I don't need anybody's sympathy,' he muttered to himself. Although he really wished that there was someone he could talk to. Inside the university, he felt alone and deserted. Trapped in a dimension where he felt that he didn't exist.

He kept looking at the tip of his shoes as he took a stride after another, so when he took a sharp turn in the corner of a corridor, he bumped hardly, flatly on somebody. The collision was full-forced but he maintained his balance and kept himself from falling but in doing this, he released the bag from his hand and there it was, on the floor with its contents scattered. Now he really did get everyone's attention did he? He wasn't surprised when the girl he bumped into (or the other people around) didn't help him. The girl immediately scurried away muttering curses before Kira could even apologize. Some even had the nerve to step on his notes intentionally. Why did they do it, nobody knows. One of these was an Yzak Jule who repeatedly trampled a notebook with a moldy leather jacket. This act, however pushed Kira to the edge of reason. He wasn't thinking clearly that time. Something infuriated him that he lost control of his temper. All that was on his mind were incoherent visions of beating a Barbie doll to a dusty pulp.

'What the fuck did you do that for?' Kira bellowed loudly, pointing an accusing finger at Yzak. When he was finished did he come back to his senses.

'Who? Me?' Yzak turned around and swiftly gave Kira a punched that hit him squarely on the left cheek. Kira saw it clearly coming but failed to dodge it. The next instant he was flying in midair then landed on the floor with a hard thud.

Such was the force of the blow that it left a bleeding lip and a severely bruised cheek. It took his brain a few nanoseconds to register the pain that was going to follow after the ringing sensation in his head disappeared.

'Hey get up,' Yzak coolly while grabbing Kira by the neck and pinned him against the wall. Yzak's eyes examined Kira's face trying to familiarize himself with the stranger. He saw Kira's ID.

'And I thought that this university didn't allow scholarship grants? Now everybody here has to mingle with a lower-bracket imp. Boo-hoo!' tongue-lashed Yzak, projecting his voice even louder so that passers by could hear what he is saying. Kira heard those words unmistakably but didn't bother to answer back. He felt kind of guilty because the statements where true and that he was already immune to those kind of words.

'Ladies and gentlemen! Meet Kira Yamato. The great scholar of garbage collecting!' boomed the white-haired boy with a mocking smile on his pale face. He released Kira from his tight grip afterwards and left without further notice seemingly satisfied.

Right there at that moment, Kira really wanted to cry. Yet his eyes failed him for the first time in his life. It ran out of tears maybe or maybe it got tired of crying. He didn't realize earlier that the boy he meddled with was a member of a prominent family of the "alta sociedad". He then marked Yzak as an adversary.

Athrun was walking as fast as he could not bearing in mind that he was walking on a corridor full of people. Inside his head, he was preoccupied in thinking about the brunette newcomer that was his new seat mate at the same time. The first thing that made an impression on him were Kira's eyes. Never did he see those kind of eyes. Amethyst orbs that seem to sparkle in the twilight of time even without the light of the heavens to reflect or refract.

'What if I befriend him?'

'It's not a bad idea to try...at least.'

'But what if he's arrogant? And that he doesn't like to socialize?'

'What if...'

Athrun had an internal debate in his head. Never did he have close acquantances eversince his childhood days. Not even his parents were close to him. He loves them surely but likes to keep everything to himself. His personality is a mystery to every people around him. His internal debate ended. He decided to give it a go putting aside his what if theories.

He made a sharp turn. Then was quite surprised when he found the object of his thoughts picking up pieces of paper a few meters away from him. He snaked his way through the crowd and quickly lent a hand, which Kira reluctantly grabbed, then pulled the scholar up.

'Wha..what..what are you doing here?' Athrun asked stammering at first.

'Picking up my things I guess. After that, nothing in particular.'

'Oh! What happened to your face?' Athrun asked again with a worried expression on his face when he saw blood trickling down from Kira's bleeding lip.

'This? Oh...Umm...? I bumped into the wall face first. You see, I was walking down the hall when...when...' Kira barely finished his obviously made-up excuse when his eyes dilated. He felt the smooth texture of a white, linen handkerchief press against his bleeding lip.

_'Nakakagulat naman ang taong ito. Banat lang ng banat, wala man lang pasabi.' _he thought in his vernacular again. He appreciated it somehow. He couldn't care less about his situation now. The feeling of a total stranger actually trying to help was just enough for him to elicit a shy smile even if it meant for the wound to sting a little, although his eyes were kept away from this stranger.

Athrun kept his eyes on Kira as much as possible avoiding eye contact so to avert the tendency of the feeling of awkwardness that might surface between them.

"Thank you so much for your effort. Nag-abala ka pa tuloy." thanked Kira but Athrun didn't quite understand what Kira meant for "nag-abala ka pa tuloy,"

"Come again please?" the confused boy asked.

"I said thank you." pretended Kira as if he said nothing a while ago.

"I have to go now." the violet-eyed boy said "And by the way…I am Kira Yamato and I am an HRM student." he added reluctantly. The thought of being an HRM student just didn't sound normal for other people. HRM really isn't an "in demand" college course at the moment and boys normally don't take HRM as preferred courses but Kira is just merely…following his heart.

The taller boy took a moment to take in what Kira had just said. 'Okay. He's an HRM student and has an extra unit in physics? What's physics got to do with hotel and restaurant management anyway?' he thought but immediately shook it off and introduced himself properly.

Thrusting out a hand to shake he went "I am Athrun Zala. Nuclear physics." And his mind went blank of ideas to engage Kira in a more lively conversation. This was his first step in befriending the brunette and it wasn't as hard as he imagined it would be. He just needed an ounce of confidence to break a wall of ice between them. But the ounce of confidence he had produced seemed to be scant. Little did he know that he was standing there in front of Kira like he had completely run out of batteries or something? Kira kept waving his hand in front of Athrun ridiculously to snap him back to reality.

"Hello! Earth calling Athrun. Are you there? I repeat are you there?"

When he did get back, Kira suggested that he really should be going because he has something important to do. Athrun, on the other hand wished that they could talk a little longer but Kira had already turned around and converged with the crowd.

"Do you want to have dinner with me?" he shouted finally. He gave up hope. He was too shy to run after the other guy. His voice seemed to be drowned out by the crowd. Amidst the blabbering, Kira's auditory nerves still managed to pick up Athrun's distant voice.

"Dinner would be great!" he shouted back and walked back to Athrun as fast as he could. His stomach has been grumbling since the morning threatening him to give painful ulcers if he didn't put something digestible in it right away.

Kira, at first glance of the place knew that it was a fine dining restaurant. What he didn't know that it was reserved solely for upper-class citizens. Later on, he found out that he was being stared at by other customers who were all dressed to the nines. This lady, maybe in her early twenties, wearing a long silk gown and a mink fur coat eyed Kira with utmost disparagement judging Kira with his clothes and his face a bruised face as he and Athrun passed by her table. Kira found it very uncomfortable but his confidence wasn't affected at all and was still very composed even managing to pull a sarcastic smile on the lady who in turn looked away utterly annoyed.

"Hey Athrun! Seriously, do you want to dine in this kind of place? Because McDonald's would really do the trick for me," whispered Kira across the table whilst absently accepting the menu from the waiter.

"Yeah I'm pretty serious. It's my treat anyway. I wanna tell you something," the sapphire-haired boy whispered back.

"What is it?"

"Come a little closer..."

Kira bent closer across the table to hear what Athrun would say.

"After we eat, be sure to run as fast as you can. I don't have money," hissed Athrun, suppressing a smirk on his face. Upon hearing this, Kira rose from his seat and prepared to leave.

"_Sinong niloloko mo? Bastardo." _Kira uttered, annoyed by the bad joke. This was another characteristic Athrun discovered – that Kira does not tolerate any kind of bad joke.

"Hey wait. I was just joking. I'm a regular here don't worry," Athrun explained face now smiling reassuringly. Kira didn't believe him at first but he calmed down, regained his composure and sank back to his seat.

"Then apologize."

"Sorry." Kira accepted it and proceeded to talk with Athrun when the soup was served.

"So…Tell me about it," Athrun boldly opened up the conversation.

"Tell you about what?" asked Kira then tasted the soup in front of him. His eyebrows slightly twitched.

"About you Kira…Tell me about it and I'll have the pleasure in listening to your narration."

Kira was slightly surprised by Athrun's request was granted..

"I don't know where or what to begin with honestly," came a reply in a low-toned voice blinking at his reflection on the bowl of soup.

"I grew up in an orphanage in the Philippines. The nuns there say that I was brought there by some people. There were two of them as far as I can remember. A man and a woman. I was very little then. About four or five years old. Not too old to comprehend the things happening around me. The nuns said that they wanted to keep me alive and safe as much as possible." Kira confided.

"Safe? Safe from whom?" Athrun was a little sad when he found out that the other boy is orphan. No parents, no home. Athrun imagined what it felt like without parents or relatives to care for him.

"I don't know. The nuns never told me anything besides that. When I'd ask them, I always get an ambiguous reply. I kept nagging them but I'm telling you, the nuns are very adamant, tight-lipped, well-zipped, whatever you can call them. So I gave up."

"Minestrone soup never tasted this bad. The tomatoes used aren't fully ripe yet. Ripe tomatoes when used has a more distinct flavor," he added. This was information added to Athrun's growing mental book about the facts of this very interesting person. He found out that Kira has a delicate sense of taste and is very enthusiastic when it comes to gastronomic subjects.

There was a peculiar look in Athrun's face as he observed Kira's every movement. It was with grace. Every utensil on the table was employed with refinement. The way Kira delivers his sentences is accompanied with good manners that he even thought of Kira belonging to a respectable lineage but remembered afterwards that Kira is an orphan.

"Something wrong with my hand Athrun?" Kira interrupted the other boy's pensive mood.

"Where do you get such poise and learn so much civility. Doesn't it choke you sometimes?" daringly asked Athrun.

"I see you are wondering where an orphan like me gained knowledge pertaining to the application of civility in modern days like these only accessed by well heeled people like you, perhaps."

"Yes. I'm in awe with your actions and the way you speak. Yes, I am indeed. "

"Thank you for your commendation. I learned from a governess way back. She was an excellent one. Not the ones you see in books as stern and puritanical people. Everything I am now, I would have to give her credit," Kira pointed out while helping himself to his last slice of steak. The meal passed by like a breeze thanks to the conversation they were having. The liveliness of their conversation never wavered even once.


	2. Chapter 2

"I thought he's a coordinator? How come he's not recovering yet?" Sister Marlene, 40, a nun, a servant of God said in a very anxious tone making the sign of the cross several times afterwards.

"Tell me what happened before he got sick." the town physician queried the nun, adjusting his round spectacles with his forefinger then taking a seat next to Kira's bed.

"Tell the doctor everything ma'am." Sister Marlene motioned to a woman in her early twenties wearing a mane of brown hair and the woman complied at her request.

"I am Murrue Ramius sir. I am Kira's governess. More of a sister to him though." she introduced then went on.

"Kira, I could say, is a perfectly healthy boy. He never did get sick. Well, except for a bout with flu when he was five. Nine days ago, Kira and I were out in the garden. He was picking lilies for me when he suddenly collapsed." said she in the same anxious tone as Sister Marlene's.

They all valued Kira at the orphanage. The boy is a very adorable kid. Loving and kind to his fellow orphans. They felt it was a grave thing that Kira got sick. Rarely did a coordinator get sick after all. His bout with influenza when he was five didn't even last for 72 hours.

"Did you notice anything unusual when you were in the garden? Signs of weakening perhaps? His breathing is at a steady pace and so is his heartbeat. But his body temperature is very high. He would have died if he were a Natural." the doctor stated after closing Kira's left eyelid after examining it with his penlight.

"I noticed nothing. He was all smiles and energetic. He just went out." replied the woman who was now by Kira's side wiping areas of his uncovered skin with a damp towel, in high hopes that Kira's fever will subside.

"In that case, I suggest that you take the boy to the city hospital. In Makati Medical Center. When you get there, find Dr. Ulen Hibiki. He's a specialist on coordinators. I fear that my skills have little help to this kid. Keep the boy hydrated at all times and the room well-ventilated. Make sure to check his temperature-if you can-every hour. A coordinator's physiology is very complex." remarked the blond doctor as he, for the second time, adjusted his spectacles.

"Is our Kira in a bad condition sir?" asked Sister Marlene who tightened the grip of the crucifix on her rosary.

"I'm afraid so Sis. But let's all have faith in God shall we?" the doctor suggested. He didn't fail to calm the spirits of the people around him. Smiling, he stood up and for the last time, adjusted his spectacles with his forefingers, and prepared to leave.

Ms. Ramius led the way for him.

"_Mag-ingat po kayo. Pagpalain nawa kayo ng Poong Maykapal."_ she spoke. Take care. May the Lord God bless you.

The man smiled at him in return and replied "_Pagpalain nawa kayo at ang aking pasyente ng Poong Maykapal. Mag-ingat din po kayo."_ May you and my patient be blessed by the Lord. Take care too.

"_Salamat."_ Thank you.

"_Salamat."_ Thank you.

Kira loaded an aluminum arrow on his recurve bow, given to him by Ms. Ramius as a parting gift, and aimed it on the little red circle dangling from a tree several meters away from him. It was actually an apple tied on a string. Kira couldn't afford the targets commonly used by professional archers. A haystack that he uses is unavailable too for it was in the orphanage's stable in the Philippines which was only a few thousand miles away from him so he opted for a cheaper substitute.

He steadied his aim in midair and concentrated on his target. A soft gust passed by, making the apple on the string sway leaving every calculation for the proper angle Kira made, useless. The apple became a moving target instead but served as a challenge for Kira. His aim followed each movement of the target. On the right pulse, he released the Kevlar string. After a wink, the apple was impaled by the arrow. Triumphant, Kira pulled a smile on his face and lowered his bow.

"WOW! You didn't tell me you're an archer!" Athrun shouted surprising Kira in the process. He was ostensibly watching Kira from a bench not ten meters away but the other boy didn't seem to notice his arrival at all.

"You didn't ask..." came the brunette's reply as he dashed towards the tree to retrieve his arrow.

"I had no idea." the blue-haired boy answered back still in awe by Kira's skill. Another fact added to his Kira encyclopedia.

"Sorry. I didn't hear you. I picked my arrow from the tree. Arrows are expensive. And besides, I only have one!" the brunette declared, chortling at the scant supply of arrows.

"Yzak will be very glad to meet you. He's an archer too. A good one." revealed Athrun.

Kira felt a mental slap when he heard the name "Yzak" but his face hid the scornful expression with a smile.

"Interesting. So…who is this Yzak anyway? Tell me something about him." Kira asked trying to know more about the person who humiliated him in front of other people on the very first day of classes.

"He's my classmate since preparatory."

"Is he your friend?" Kira asked idly while he took a seat on the ground probing his bowstring. 'The Kevlar's worn-out already. It needs replacement. The let-off was great at least.' Kita thought, too busy to pay attention to the person who was talking to him.

"No we absolutely are not." Athrun said. "We barely get along with each other. Our parents are close friends that's why I always get to see him. You know social circles and stuff? It's mostly for publicity purposes. They're getting alarmingly bigger as each year passes." continued he, joking on the subject of his social circles.

The phrase "social circles" did appear to have an effect on Kira.

'Social circles? I'm with the wrong person in terms of social circles. Yzak Jule…I really am with the wrong person.' Kira mentally muttered to himself.

'I am not on the same level with this person.' he added.

'_Kira! Gising na!_' his mind screamed to snap him out of his reflection. Kira! Wake up!

Reality has struck him again this time, straight on his face.

Kira always keeps it in mind that Athrun is a prominent member of the _alta sociedad _elite society/society of the elite It hinders him from delving deeper into Athrun's life as a person. Elite people tend to be snubs and mean to people of the lower bracket of society. They really can be annoying or if not, you'll feel awkward in their midst.

Athrun wasn't a snub nor was he mean but he really has a tendency to annoy Kira with his bad jokes. Kira on the other hand, has no right to worry about being out of place in the midst of elites. In the first place, he looks like one. Fairly tall for his age, tanned skin, good posture, wavy chocolate-brown hair. An air of confidence surrounds him just like his friend. And has an equally handsome face. What's more? He's intelligent. Very intelligent. Extremely intelligent. Has an advanced education. And…he's an excellent archer. Above all…no one can compare his amethyst eyes to anything else. Kira seems to have everything what elites of his age have. He just seems to be one.

But Kira is just a human being. He has his share of imperfections too.

Putting every negative thought aside, he decided that he should be a good person to his friend and to the people around him.

"When do I get the opportunity to meet…er…Yzak? Yes, Yzak Joule or Jule or whatever. I heard his name somewhere."

"Maybe on T.V. or in magazines. His mother is a high-ranking politician. His father heads a known multinational pharmaceutical company."

When Kira heard Athrun's statement, he felt the very urge to vomit.

"Kira are you okay? It looks like you're sick. I can bring you to the clinic if you want me to." a worried Athrun offered.

'if you want me to...'

"What? Oh...oh...I just got dizzy or something." Kira made an excuse but he actually was feeling bad. Bad indeed. His violet orbs are now sparkling under the sunlight and the perpetual smile was present on his face. Athrun couldn't help himself from getting bemused at the other guy's appearance. His friend was to him...angelic. The germs of friendship has infected him no doubt and the effects are pleasant, mild, invigorating to name a few.

The taller boy grabbed Kira's hand but what greeted him was the chill that sent shivers down his spine. Kira's temperature was unusually low. Athrun's intended to bring Kira to the city for ice cream but it changed when the coldness of Kira's body was perceived by his sense of touch.

'he grabbed my hand...'

"Do you drink tea?" he asked the youth who was still smiling at him.

"I do. But please not on a weather like this one. It's scorching." was Kira's reply while he was loosening his batik shirt to relieve himself from the heat.

Athrun wondered why Kira felt hot while his perception of his temperature was low and started to suspect that Kira was sick.

"You feel hot? Do you have fever Kira?" he asked raising an eyebrow, then touched Kira's forehead confirm his suspicions.

Voice weak Kira answered a lie. "No. I don't have fever. I think...I'm...going...to..." his voice trailed off as he lost his consciousness dropping his recurve bow whose Kevlar string snapped. Athrun's swift flexes allowed him to catch Kira in time.

Slowly…Oh so slowly…Kira opened his eyes. It seemed like a hundred years have passed since he last opened his eyes. His eyelids were very heavy forcing him to go back to sleep but he willed them to remain open for his retina to produce the images of his surroundings. He turned his head sideways and found Athrun seated on a chair beside his bed fast asleep.

Kira struggled a bit to sit up straight on the bed. Covering him was a woolen blanket colored in warm earthy tones. He noticed too that his batik shirt and jeans have been replaced with light cotton pajamas. Kira wondered if Athrun changed his clothes during his moments of unconsciousness. The bed that he was sitting on was a mahogany four-poster at first glance and the room as easily identified as Victorian era-inspired. Parallel to the bed were fiberglass doors slid open to permit the ingress of the night wind into the room.

The brunette was quite shocked when during his observation; he felt a hand take hold of his neck. With animalistic instincts kicking in, he quickly seized the hand's wrists with his mouth, sinking his teeth deep into the flesh, tightening the grip with his vice-like jaw with every second that passed by.

At the same moment, Athrun felt Kira's teeth sinking deeper. He felt pain too. Responding to the external stimuli applied on his hand, he tried to seize his hand back but Kira's jaw was firmly locked into his wrist. Thinking of ways to prevent his flesh from being torn apart, he screamed loudly; louder than he could have imagined.

Hearing Athrun scream, Kira immediately released the wrist from his jaw's grip, leaving a pattern of punctures on Athrun's pale skin possibly with his incisors. Then his eyes went up to see Athrun holding his bleeding wrist, face in an expression of fright.

"What did I do? Why did you scream?" he asked as if nothing happened.

Athrun couldn't believe that Kira didn't remember what he did even if it took place only a minute ago.

"You bit me! And it hurts!" barked Athrun back trying to look as miserable as possible to gain pity from the other boy.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea of what I was doing," the brunette apologized.

"You had no idea? You had no idea that you bit a person? Well that's just great," said Athrun sounding a bit sarcastic.

Kira had no time to listen to what Athrun was saying. His main concern was his wrist that was now bleeding profusely. He raised Athrun's sleeve searching for the region where a pressure point was located. When he found it, he gently pressed it with his fingers and the bleeding gradually stopped.

"Where do you keep the first aid kit?" he asked as he placed the bleeding wrist in his mouth.

Athrun thought that Kira was going to bite him again so he tried to pull his hand away but couldn't because Kira's hand was already locked around it. Instead he was surprised when he sensed a pliable tongue come in contact with his arm. Kira was gently licking the blood that was seeping away from the wound. And it felt great as the tongue slithered around the wound licking blood away, cleaning the mess he created.

"Hey! Snap out of it. It tickles," demanded Athrun.

"Is it so? OK." and Kira stopped his ticklish actions which from a normal person's point of view was clearly not hygienic.

"Where do you keep the first aid kit?" Kira asked again this time, flashing his best smile ever.

'Damn! Why does he have to smile like that? He just makes himself look so…so…cute,' Athrun whispered.

"Did you say something? Because I can assure you that I really heard something," Kira suspected.

"Ah…No," denied the other boy, grinning.

"And you are not answering my question. Is there something wrong with my face Athrun?"

"Since you are not familiar with the nooks and corners of "my house" I'll take care of the first aid kit and again, there is nothing wrong with your face and I said nothing a while ago. Stay put here OK?" Athrun said in a commanding tone as he darted towards the bathroom to get the first aid kit.

As soon as Athrun left for the bathroom, Kira got out of the bed and explored the other parts of the room. A grandfather clock occupied a corner of the room. It read 2:45 A.M. indicating that both of them are awake on an unholy hour of the day. Aside from the grandfather clock and the bed, a cabinet also resides beside a huge wardrobe. The room was lightly furnished with just the needs of a typical college student like Athrun.

He then walked out to the balcony where the cotton pajamas offered a little protection from the chilly night air. The house was seated atop a hill where it overlooked the city from a distance of two or three miles based from Kira's approximation.

"Athrun must be a very happy person with all the wealth he has. If I had his money, I'd buy new clothes and books to my fellow orphans back in the Philippines. And I'll make sure Ms. Ramius' wedding will be a bash. And I'll renovate the whole orphanage."

Kira dreamed on and on about giving his fellow orphans a better future. Their future was always his main concern. His emotional attachment to them is a major driving force for him to bear the hardships in life. He'll always be an orphan and nobody can ever change that fact.

He thought that God can change his status but negated the positive effects of miracles. Kira always thought that miracles were reserved for bigger occasions. If he would ask for a miracle, he wouldn't ask God to find his real parents. It would be a total waste of miracles. Everything has its own purpose. The people who left him at the orphanage may have several reasons valid enough to answer his questions if ever they get to meet. Unfortunately, his interests in life lie somewhere else, and finding his real parents is not one of them. He's contented with his present life.

"Here sit down," Kira said as he opened the first aid kit and searched for a bottle of alcohol and a few balls of cotton.

"Why did you bit me Kira? Did I do anything wrong?" Athrun asked. Kira pulled the sleeve of the sweater up so he could examine the wound e had just made. Then, he proceeded in disinfecting the surrounding area of the wound. Dried blood and saliva disappeared. He didn't bother to answer the question hurled at him. He was shy and wanted to change the subject.

Athrun, who wanted clear answers, was not satisfied with the silence Kira replied. The other boy usually replied politely whenever he asked something.

'There must be a reason why he did that. And I'm sure that he's not a cannibal.' Athrun thought while watching Kira stain a cotton ball with povidone iodine. He admires the boy for many reasons. Like what he was doing to him at that juncture; tending his wound in the subtlest way possible.

The first night he and Kira met, he expected the brunette to be a know-nothing-'bout-the-world kind of person. But he was proven to be very wrong about his conclusions. Kira, to him, is a polished gem. A polished gem that he found in a dusty corner of his physics classroom. No one realized the value of that gem except he, and he doesn't want to lose it.

Kira applied an antibacterial liniment on Athrun's wound. The way Kira manages to fit in his life still troubles him though. The taller boy was worried that Kira might be overwhelmed with adjusting to his new surroundings. After all, Kira is a country boy and he knows only a little about how modern life works. Then he asked Kira his previous question again hoping that he would answer him.

No reply. Kira was getting irritated by Athrun's nagging and really wished that Athrun would just give up of asking monotonous questions. He hastened in bandaging the wound. 'Don't worry Athrun, I don't have rabies.' He thought of saying the sentence but refrained from doing so.

Kira finished dressing the wound without saying a thing. Athrun couldn't think of anything to persuade Kira into saying something. He helped Kira return the contents of the first aid back into its box so that he could talk to him freely once more.

He stood up and walked outside into the veranda, pulling down his sleeve to prevent the cold night air from touching his skin. Kira followed his trail and stopped beside him. He saw Athrun's gaze. It was a hundred thousand miles away.

"You're mad at me are you?" Kira finally said. There was a short pause and Kira expected it to lengthen but before he could speak again, Athrun replied:

"I'm not mad. Why would I be mad at you?"

"I know you are mad at me. A little silent treatment can do a great deal of annoyance to a person like you, I know. And you are mad at me. It's your fault anyway not mine." Kira insisted.

"You bit me!" shouted Athrun.

"Nobody holds my nape!" Kira snapped back immediately, tone serious. He seated himself on the veranda's marble railings.

Athrun was taken aback by what Kira revealed.

'Nobody holds my nape,'

'Is his nape made of gold?'

'No it isn't,'

'Then why doesn't he want anybody to touch his nape?'

Kira read Athrun's expression correctly as he was holding an internal debate. But he chose to remain silent and hear a question he expected to arrive.

"Why?"

"Because my nape is sensitive that's why I don't want anybody to touch it. One touches my nape if one tames and owns my heart."

"You're sounding a bit odd Kira. What do you mean by own? Do I have to buy your heart so that I can own it? So that I can hold your neck without having to worry of being bitten?" said Athrun, voice in sarcastic mode.

"Precisely! Next time you'll do that, I'll cut your wrists off." Kira warned threateningly.

Athrun knew that the other boy was just joking but he shifted uncomfortably from where he sat and let out a nervous laugh.

"Haha! I caught you! You're afraid aren't you?" Kira teased jumping out of his seat and continued: "But seriously, you don't hold my neck until you own me," he pointed out again.

"What will I do to own you?"

"I don't know."

"Give me a clue…."

"A clue? I'm clueless about it."

"Please…"

Athrun was a little desperate for his questions to be given proper answers so he jumped out of his seat too and made Kira face him by grabbing his shoulders and vigorously turning the other boy around. His desperation for a clue on how to own Kira's heart proved to be a little effective. For the first time their eyes chanced to be locked with each other. A terrible silence followed as if an angel passed through them. Emerald vigor met amethyst radiance.

Both cannot speak for some unknown reasons. Their eyes dug deeper into each other, soul-searching. Neither one of them wanted to break the eye contact. Not even Athrun who wasn't accustomed to staring into another person's face. He didn't feel awkward nor was he bothered by the thought that he may have offended Kira by what he did. He just wanted to see Kira's face for as long as time and opportunity would allow him to.

The brunette flung his arms around Athrun's shoulders. Athrun wanted the moment to last longer. He didn't know why Kira held on to him that way. It's as if some invisible people wanted to take him away that his arms entwined even tighter around his shoulders pulling his immaculate face closer to his snowy one. Kira leaned onto him pouring all his weight which he received effortlessly.

Kira needed to tell Athrun something but he couldn't decide whether to whisper it into the other boy's ear or say nothing at all. He, at last, decided to rest his head on Athrun's broad shoulder and whispered something inaudible. Athrun, not knowing what to do on those circumstances, wrapped his arms around Kira's waist and leaned his head on the boy's shoulders too.

"What is it Kira? Tell me what I need to know."

"Athrun…"

"Hmm?"

"Athrun…You are a good man. I hope you won't change."

"I won't Kira. I won't."


	3. Chapter 3

Physics class again. Ms. Badgiruel was giving them a lecture about vector quantities which was getting more boring as every second ticks away but Kira was very attentive to the lecture opposed to what Athrun was doing at that moment.

Kira noticed that Athrun has been writing something on his notebook since class started. Every time he tried to take a look at what he was writing, Athrun would cover it with his hand or pretend that he was solving one of the problems their teacher gave them. In some instances, he would even crumple the paper and feign of throwing it inside the drawer of their desk. Not five minutes would pass by and Athrun would retrieve it again and continue writing. Whatever he was writing, he seemed to be very secretive about it. Lucky for him, "Ms. B" was being kept busy by his watchful seatmate by bombarding her with questions pertaining or "not" to the subject.

"Ms. Badgiruel, do you think that the four fundamental forces, the strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, gravity, and electromagnetism, can be unified to explain all the physical phenomena around us?"

"Your question is obviously out of the discussion Mr. Yamato. but it is quite interesting." Ms. Badgiruel, despite the unusual kindness, replied. The whole class immediately stopped talking and listened to the explanation the teacher gave them as a reply to Kira's question.

"What you are talking about Mr. Yamato is the so called TOE or theory of everything. It raised publicity during the 1960s but it died down eventually. Then it was revived again by physicists in the turn of the last century but they couldn't arrive to experimental quantities. If a TOE is proven it will accurately answer the grand questions that have baffled humanity since time immemorial such as: How many dimensions of time and space are there? or simply...it can answer all our questions. Even the question "Is there really a God?" Personally, I'm not in favor of the TOE."

"But why?" asked a student who was eagerly listening.

"Because...it would kill all the faiths that have been the pillars of human civilization. TOE is what separates us from GOD. The Bible says that we are created by a higher being. And we, as beings, shouldn't know everything. There will be no thrill in living a life where every question has an answer."

"Because, again, the word "mystery" will be erased from the dictionary. It's my favorite word. Mystery."

The whole class, including Kira, just sat there...dazed.

Class ended mercifully for both of them. Kira got tired of distracting Ms. B with his questions and Athrun, whatever he was writing, was done with it.

"May I know what you wrote on that piece of paper?" Kira asked while they were walking towards nowhere in particular. He was eyeing the paper obsessively so that he can take a look on what was written on it.

"Oh...oh…no you don't!" Athrun was swift with his hand as ever. He placed the controversial piece of paper inside his portfolio rendering Kira's plan of taking a glimpse of his written piece a complete failure.

"Can I take a look at it? Please? Can I? Can I?" Kira pleaded Athrun like a little kid asking his mother for candy, eyes twinkling. He was even thinking of flashing his killer smile for added effectiveness but refrained from doing so. He thought that smiles like those need not be abused just to get anything you want from a person. Other ways. He needed to find out other ways to get that piece of paper.

Much to his surprise, he didn't need to find other ways of acquiring that piece of data he was longing for. Athrun willingly offered to show it to him only after they have eaten their lunch together. True enough, Athrun can't resist the other boy's plea.

"What do you have in mind to eat?" Kira asked Athrun when they both entered the canteen. He scanned the menu artfully written on a rectangular piece of illustration board mounted on a worn-out easel. Maybe to attract attention and possibly attract customers.

"Anything edible, I suppose," Athrun replied lazily.

Kira gave Athrun a questioning look after he heard Athrun's reply just to give his brain to process what Athrun meant for "anything edible". When he finally got Athrun's point, he proceeded to order something edible for both of them. All his processing was done in less than a few nanoseconds anyway. It always has been for him that way.

Athrun walked over to a table beside the glass windows. He preferred sitting beside windows every time he was with Kira. He always chooses the place next to the windows so that the sunlight would have a chance to mingle with Kira's immaculate countenance. The image-intermingling-with-sunlight scene has captivated him the first time they met. And perhaps Kira always will.

"That Kira…" he said unto himself "…extremely unpredictable but always cute,"

Unpredictable yes. Athrun was extremely shaken when he saw the object of his thoughts carrying what seemed like a mountain of sandwiches on a tray. Seeing Kira having a difficult time balancing the tray, he quickly rose from his seat and helped Kira with it.

"Thanks," Kira said after he sank to his seat, countenance shifting from plain to the Athrun-revered one.

"A sandwich or two would have been enough for the two of us," Athrun remarked. He was still shocked with the enormity of the "sandwich mountain" Kira bought him.

"Don't look at me like that. You're the one who said "something edible"," Kira said defensively for he read Athrun's expression correctly.

"Yes. But buying a "mountain" of it is out of my suggestion," Athrun replied hastily as he removed a stray lock of his sapphire-blue hair from his face. Then he moved the "sandwich mountain" a few inches to the right so that he could see Kira's face. His was even more shocked when Kira's countenance greeted him.

Kira was starting to get worried too. He even had to look around the "sandwich mountain" to properly talk with Athrun. And the people around them were starting to get suspicious mainly because of the "sandwich mountain". And at last, he found a way to address the problem.

"Well, I can return the other sandwiches and ask for a refund. I'm sure they won't mind. We can give it to the street children too," Kira said, voicing out his suggestion although he was shy with the refund part.

"You can ask for a refund, yes. But you can't give it to the street children,"

"But why?" the brunette asked.

"Simply because we have no street children here. They are taken care of by the social welfare agency,"

"Ahuh…In my country, you can't count the street children with your fingers. Budget from taxes intended for social welfare is terrorized by the politicians."

Kira sat up and left for the counter immediately for the refund. He returned to the table still holding a few more sandwiches.

"Don't tell me you are going to eat all of that." Athrun said as he received his cup of coffee from Kira.

"Of course I won't."

Kira was sure he saw Athrun spit out the coffee he gave him. It wasn't strong nor was it tasteless. It was boiling coffee and he was pretty sure that Athrun partially burned his tongue. 'Silly Athrun,' he thought.

"Now can we eat?" he asked Athrun finally. He gave Athrun some time to recover from the burn and regain his composure.

"Of course. Of course."

And they ate in silence, constantly stealing glances from each other.

"Where exactly are you taking me Kira?" Athrun asked impatiently while they were walking at an abnormal speed through the manmade forest, his right hand constantly receiving a light tug from Kira reminding him to catch up.

"We…" Kira said followed by a short gasp for air, "…are here." He rested onto a tree trunk and resumed in calming his erratic breathing. He got exhausted from dragging Athrun across the city just to get to…

"The lake?" Athrun said in an uninterested tone. "You dragged me up to here just to stand in front of this lake which, by the way, is manmade and full of…uninteresting things."

"Come one you'll like this," Kira said as he shoved a paper bag into Athrun's hands full of sandwiches. And he smiled to erase Athrun's sulky mood.

"What am I supposed to do with these?" Athrun asked as he opened the paper bag and took out a sandwich to eat. He got hungry again from all the walking.

"Don't…" Kira interrupted by pulling away the sandwich from Athrun's hand. Athrun was starting to get annoyed with Kira – for the first time. Kira's smile was having a little effect on him.

Kira sensed that Athrun was a little irritated. Who wouldn't be when you just finished your lunch and you get dragged for several kilometers on foot when riding a taxi or taking the train would have been very appropriate, only to stand beside a manmade lake full of duck-like fowls. Athrun's annoyance didn't have an effect on Kira at all. None at all.

"You're supposed to feed these to the waterfowls." Kira instructed as he got a sandwich and divided it into miniscule pieces.

"Watch this," Kira added. Then he sprinkled the sandwich bits into the throng of various waterfowls stupidly squawking at each other in the water. Their squawking turned into dining frenzy as they dived in and out of the surface of the water to get part of the free meal a human was offering them.

"What's the point in feeding them? They can always find food somewhere there in the lake," Athrun said as he plunged his hand into the paper bag to get a sandwich repeat the same process Kira did.

"These birds will be leaving us for a long time you know." Kira ignored Athrun's rudeness and he tossed more food into the water for the birds giving them extra nourishment that may heighten their chances to succeed in their southward journey.

"I know. They'll be heading south."

"I'll miss them." Kira's voice was sentimental.

"Why?"

"Because they are the first creatures that greeted my arrival here. I lost my way to my dormitory and I ended up here," revealed Kira as he grabbed another sandwich and continued on feeding the avian creatures.

"Oh I see. Now I get your point. You should have told me earlier before we left. We could have taken a taxi because I really hate walking long distances," Athrun said apologetically although his reason was valid enough for him to not feel guilty.

"And I'm sorry for being rude," he added.

"Apology accepted. You're right; we should have taken a taxi. You're not the only one who got tired."

"You preferred to walk a thousand miles. It wasn't my idea," Athrun said defensively.

"Yes. I'd rather walk a thousand miles and get tired than to ride a pollution-contributing vehicle and not get tired at all."

"That's the real reason, no?" asked Athrun. He tried to unravel the real answer from Kira because he was not satisfied with the reasoning Kira gave him. Kira always has good justifications following all the questionable things he did.

Kira was cornered by Athrun and he had no way out of that very situation. His mind raced and thought of things to say but his heart told to him that he should tell Athrun the truth about him. It wasn't fair that he knew Athrun too well and Athrun knows exactly nothing about him except his status of being an orphan from the Philippines. Sometime in his life he heard someone say that in order for any kind of relationship to work out, trust should be forged first and foremost. Now, he's starting to believe what that person said. He'll tell Athrun everything. In time. In time. There is time for everything.

"They say that there are three kinds of people in life. Do you know that?" Kira said as he let out a deep sigh. He then walked over to the edge of the lake, sat down and folded his legs up to his chest. Athrun just blinked at him, confused at the sudden change of the subject. He just stood there.

"The first ones are those who simply come and go. The second ones are those who stay for a while but would eventually leave us drowning in tears. And the last ones are those who touch our hearts and choose to remain with us for the rest of eternity," he said in an extremely wistful tone that can make anyone teary-eyed.

"What do you mean by that Kira?" Inquisitive

"I'm trying to tell you that there are three kinds of people in life. Gosh Athrun, I didn't know you're that slow." Kira answered back eyes fixed on the birds that are slowly taking flight southwards one by one.

"No I'm not slow. What I'm trying to ask is what kind of person are you based from what you just said."

"Let time answer your question." Passive

"I don't have time to wait Kira!" Impatient

At that point, tension was rising in the air, building up ready to explode at any moment. Athrun was ready to start a fierce argument to squeeze the truth out of Kira.

"And have you heard that patience is a virtue?" Still composed

"If that is what you want, I'll gladly wait." Tension-breaker

With tension dissipating into nothingness the two of them sat side by side at the lake's edge waiting for the birds to completely disappear out of the horizon.

Kira didn't notice Athrun take a seat beside him. Maybe he just ignored the other person. He didn't want to stir the dust anymore than what just happened a minute ago. Concealed things should not be taken lightly much more revealed abruptly to a person whom you are still not sure to completely trust.

Athrun knew that he had crossed an important line Kira didn't want him to cross. And that is the boundary between being inquisitive and being a nagger. He knew this because Kira just fell silent and motionless. Then he pondered over Kira's words. Kira couldn't possibly be the come-and-go type of person. He knows how much Kira values his education; the boy will be his schoolmate (and a sit-in classmate in physics) for at least three more years.

'Maybe he's just fooling around when he said that. Kira's giving me the creeps. But he's still very cute. Kira is indeed cute on the physical level of perception. When the inward eye is used to view him, he's just as cute inside.' Athrun was smiling when he said this to himself.

Nudge. A nudge on Athrun's shoulder was a sign that Kira was finally making peace with him. No. He was wrong. Kira fell silently asleep by his side while he was busy thinking of the same person. When he moved a little to adjust his position Kira's arms wrapped around him in their own accord faster than a boomslang's stride. He tried to gently remove Kira's arms so that he could haul the other boy up but he failed. They only wrapped tighter around him with every movement he made. Athrun, with superior coordinator strength, hauled Kira up in that awkward position with one great upward tug.

"Why do I always have to carry him? This is getting unfair." Athrun said after he hauled Kira up with him. Kira wasn't heavy so he didn't encounter any difficulty in the task of carrying the boy. His bag was heavy though, and this served as a challenge for Athrun. A challenge that proved to be challenging enough because of the mysteriously heavy contents of the said bag.

Athrun walked on a slow pace at first. Being a coordinator, his body immediately adjusted to the burden he was carrying and his walking speed went back to normal again. He walked a short distance from the park to the train station with great ease. Unease came when he arrived at the train station.

It was rush hour. People from work are all in a hurry to get home. It was Athrun's turn to buy tickets from the booth. With him carrying Kira and his bag, it was quite a difficult act to get his wallet from his pocket. He didn't want to put Kira down but he couldn't get his wallet because it was completely blocked by Kira's right thigh. It took him nearly ten minutes of struggle to get his wallet and finally buy the tickets which greatly annoyed the people behind him because of the delay they caused.

Athrun, along with the other passengers boarded the train that was already half full. The empty seats were quickly occupied by his co-passengers and because of this; Athrun remained standing through most of the journey. He actually found a seat and he had enough reasons to sit on it in comfort. But seeing an elderly man and his granddaughter stand in front of him was too much so he willingly offered the seat to them.

"Your old man can surely use a seat. Here, take mine," Athrun offered to the girl with long and cascading pink hair and her grandfather as he rose from his seat and hauled Kira up from his seat up with him.

"Oh thank you very much. My feet are actually aching and I'm tired of all the standing. Grandpa, here sit," the girl replied with no further ado to Athrun and motioned for her grandfather to sit.

"Sitting is a luxury here inside this train. We rarely use it but our driver didn't make it through the traffic jam. Those bombers surely know how to do their jobs," the girl continued.

"What traffic jam?" Athrun immediately asked.

"There was an explosion downtown. I suspect that it's the doing of Blue Cosmos. Their goals of eliminating every coordinator on Earth are getting more realistic each year. Last year's assassination of the Amarfi clan's patriarch sure stirred the dust. It's destabilization that they're planning to do I'm sure of it," the girl said, wincing her face in disgust even though her voice was gentle.

"You mean the Blue Cosmos is actually active again? The government should really do something about this. I come from a coordinator family so I'm very worried. The Blue Cosmos' hatred for coordinators is just inexhaustible. I don't understand why."

"Neither do I because I'm a coordinator too. And is that your little brother you are carrying?" the girl asked again pointing a finger at Kira who was still asleep cradled in Athrun's arms.

Upon the girl's question, Athrun quickly shifted his grip in Kira upwards and muttered cooing sounds as if trying to put a baby back to sleep.

"No, he's not my brother. He's my – "

"Friend?"

"Yeah, but more than just a friend."

"AHA! He's your boyfriend!"

Athrun turned scarlet hearing the word "boyfriend".

"No, you are mistaken. He's my best friend. That's what I meant for more than just a friend," Athrun said, face still blushing.

"Your best friend sure is a very lucky person to have you. Carrying him like that is a difficult thing."

"I'm kind of used to it. He's sick all the time but he wouldn't tell me when he's feeling sick or not. He doesn't want me to worry about him. Sometimes, he just loses his consciousness and wakes up completely recovered in the wee hours of the morning."

"A pretty unusual coordinator. Coordinators are always healthy and they are immune to almost all kinds of diseases." An ancient-sounding voice said. It turned out to be the girl's grandfather.

"He's a natural sir." Athrun proudly interjected. Based from hKira was a very talented and promising natural and he's very proud of it.

"Ow? I'm sorry. I thought he's a coordinator. Coordinators usually bond with fellow coordinators. You know, "birds of the same feather" culture?"

"I like to deviate from the norms," Athrun replied to the old man.

"Ah…Children nowadays are surely different from the previous ones."

Athrun stepped out of the train feeling a little odd. He just met and communed with a high profile person and his granddaughter. The person also happens to be his father's long-time colleague that he hadd already met several times before. The old man's granddaughter was very good-looking and very attractive too. A couple of interesting people. He hopes that they'll meet again some other time.

Darkness had already fallen when Athrun arrived at his house's doorstep. As soon as he stepped in, a familiar warm atmosphere welcomed him. He also felt an unfamiliar throbbing pain on his legs and on his back probably because of the burdens he's been carrying almost all afternoon. First, several kilometers of walking, then an hour or so of standing inside a train with a human his size and weight clutched in his arms, and a few more minutes of walking towards his house. Athrun didn't mind the pain; he did all those things for Kira.

"Athrun put me down now," a weak voice whimpered followed by a puff of warm air resulting from speech that tickled Athrun's ear.

"Okay." Kira was placed gently on the couch.

"You really should sit down too," Kira, in his still weak voice, told Athrun.

Without any further explanation, Kira made a swift kick on the base of Athrun's feet which made the other boy fall like a piece of timber. It was going to be a painful fall but Kira caught him with no problem at all. Kira placed him on the couch where he had been sitting a few seconds ago.

Athrun was a bit horrified at what Kira did. It was too quick, too accurate, and eerily soundless. He really thought he would fall and break his back on his very own floor in his very own house. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and looked up to meet Kira's eyes to tell him by facial expression that what he did to him was utterly dangerous. A little more shocked he was when he looked up. Kira was no longer there but already walking his way to the kitchen.

"Sit still Athrun while I'll prepare dinner. Let me see if I can fix something from your kitchen."

Emerald eyes gazed at the brunette as he walked comfortably across the room towards the kitchen.

'It's as if he has already lived in this house before. During the times that we're together I never failed in noticing his grace in everything that he does. How come he's so graceful in all his actions? And how come he's so talented and intelligent despite being a Natural. I can almost compare him to a coordinator. Sometimes it makes me think that he's not what I think he is because he can be very unpredictable at times. But he can't be a coordinator. Coordinators get sick sometimes but not like his. I know that he's very sick but he won't entertain the topic when I tell him that he should go get examined by the doctors. I hope nothing serious'll happen to him. A whole day won't pass without me getting worried about him."

"I don't know your fridge was this big Athrun. It's s huge!" Kira shouted from the kitchen.

'Yes. And he's a cooking buff but I never tasted any of his cooking. Up until now."

Thirty minutes passed by like a troubled Hermes.

Forty-five minutes came and an enticing aroma greeted Athrun's sense of smell a nice "Hello".

A complete hour came and Athrun was already sitting in front of the dining table with a plate placed in front if him, full of rice dotted with peas, carrot bits, corn kernel, more greens, and bits of meaty somethings. It looked like a ray of sunshine for Athrun. Aside from the fact that it was yellowish in color, Kira cooked it for him. Especially for him. Finally, he can now gauge Kira's cooking prowess. The dish smelled very nice and it made him even hungrier.

"What re you waiting for? Grab a bite!" Kira insisted as he shoved a spoon into Athrun's hand.

"But pray first. You should always thank God for the blessings," he added tapping Athrun's forehead several times before going back to his seat.

Prayer.

"I…umm…What's this called?" Athrun asked as he spooned up a heapful of the dish out of the plate examining it.

"It's called paella. It's the simplest dish I could come up with the use of immaculate kitchen. What impressed me was the variety of spices 'that' cupboard holds. _May kasubha pa nga akong nakita eh. Akala ko wala ka nun dito." _ I even found saffron. I thought you don't have it here.

While Kira was talking about the kitchen, Athrun had already began eating down the chow. It was nothing he ever tasted before. It was sumptuously flavored beyond compare. He chowed down the paella within minutes.

"You really can cook! What's this made of?"

"Leftovers I guess. The turkey was still good so I added it. Most of the veggies are fresh. Ummm…And the bacon bits I got from the sandwiches we bought at the canteen earlier this afternoon. The rest was provided mostly by your fridge. Speaking of your fridge, it's so huge. If I were to add all my belongings and place it in there, it still wouldn't fill it up."

He couldn't believe that something so good-tasting can be made of leftovers but Athrun, instead of losing his appetite, still kept on eating the paella. Something he can add to his Kira encyclopedia was the paella: A yellowish rice dish that originated from Spain.

"Now I know you're not hungry at all. But be reminded to chew the food correctly or you'll end up dead because of choking."

"Is dessert coming up?"

"No dessert Athrun. No dessert."

Both boys let out a hearty chuckle and then went on with eating."


	4. Chapter 4

Already two hours had passed since dinner time came but still, the two of them were in a state of light conversation. The paella stood no chance against Athrun's craving for Kira's cooking and everything was perfect. From a stranger's point of view, one can say that they are both indeed lucky because they are, in a way, a perfect match. A match made somewhere else in a different time and place, destined to be united once again.

"You never told me that before. So what happened next?"

"I ran away from school and I slept in my room all throughout the day."

"I never knew that you are weak against boredom," Kira said in a comparative tone and added, "My Ate Murrue was never a boring teacher compared to yours. She taught me how to climb a tree when I was five." _Ate _in Filipino means older or big sister.

"Really? How come you always talk about this Ms. Ramius of yours? Is she really that special to you?"

Kira took a sip from his cup of coffee before looking away from Athrun. The question brought about nostalgic memories back to him that obviously was a little hurtful to him.

"I guess you know what the answer is," Kira let out a meek smile, "I owe her everything I have right now but she's too kind to let me repay her for all that she's done for me. Honestly, I miss her… and my home very much," Kira replied as sincere as possible before sipping again from his cup.

"You don't feel at home here?"

Still, another awkward question coming straight from Athrun's frank mouth. It wasn't hurtful like the previous one but rather embarrassing.

Yes, how can he feel at home in a place where society frowns upon him? Where his classmates that were supposed to encourage him to go on with life's struggles degrade him instead? Where life is sad and full of restraints? How can someone as fragile as Kira feel at home in that almost God-forsaken place? Where can he feel at home? Kira only fell silent once more and didn't bother to answer the question.

"What I mean is do you feel at home here? Here as in, in my house?" explained a smiling Athrun who didn't fail to notice Kira's sudden silence. Silence once again. The primary hurdle he always faces when talking to Kira. Why can't Kira answer him straight?

'Here? Inside this massive structure where warmth is always present? Of course I do feel at home here. Why not tell Athrun about it? Would it make any difference? Will he appreciate my effort of saying yes?'

"Of course I feel at home here. You know, I have to tell you something. I've wanted to tell you this a long time ago but I was hesitant in doing so. I was afraid you might get upset."

"Go ahead."

"I…I… I'm… Every time I lose consciousness… I… It's a…" Kira struggled with his words but he couldn't place his thoughts in motion because he was holding something back.

"You what?" asked Athrun worriedly as he moved his chair closer to Kira fully expecting to hear something he doesn't know about Kira's health yet.

"Umm… I think I should go back to the dorms now. It's almost curfew hours and I don't want to end up locked out again," Kira tried to put the whole situation under the joke spell, although inside he was worried sick to the point of physically coughing out everything that he just ate. He failed to go through the ordeal of confessing an important detail of him to an important person in his life.

Athrun looked dismayed, as Kira saw him pout his lips. The looming finals disrupted their usual afternoon tea sessions and times like the ones he just had with Kira was a rare opportunity to come by – at least for two months more. At least Kira made his point clear so he could go home immediately and avoid suffering the consequences of being late. Just how difficult was it to make an excuse?

Athrun led Kira out of the dining room as soon as they both finished their respective cups of coffee. He was in the verge of a sudden mood swing, probably because of Kira's abrupt request to go back to his dorm. He made a quick peek on his wristwatch for time verification, to see if it was truly near curfew hours. Indeed it was already nine fifty – seven. The time check rationalized everything so the impending mood swing was suppressed, compressed, and thrown away out of the window.

Applying his cultivated social manners, he opened the main door for Kira, who stepped out of the door rather hurriedly and shouted SNOW over and over again.

Kira ran out into the open and spread his arms to catch all the snowflakes he could get hold of, face in an expression of pure delight.

"Snow again…." Kira said while Athrun followed him out into the night after he closed the door behind him.

"You've seen snow before?" Athrun asked Kira who was paying little attention to him. The brunette was busy picking up snowflakes one by one. It seemed childish for him to do that sort of thing although it also seemed that he was carefully examining the snowflakes in his hand.

"Yes I have. We went to Denmark to visit Ms. Ramius' mother," came Kira's reply.

"You've been to Denmark before? A few months ago, I just found out that you are an archer. Now you're telling me you've been to Denmark. Is _THERE_ anything else about you that I need to know?"

"Why are you so hell-bent in trying to find out every piece of information about me?" Kira stressed out with a louder voice, traces of annoyance present. 'Why does he always have to ask these things?'

"Because I want to know everything about you?" Athrun asked countering Kira's voice with a louder one.

"BUT WHY?" Kira shouted in a very strong voice that echoed out into the darkness, face flaring with emotional anger.

"I want to know if I can trust you…" Athrun finally said under his breath.

Kira's was dumbstruck as soon as he picked up Athrun's words. Trembling unsteadily, he bent down and pretended to untie and retie the knots of his shoelaces. With his eyes visibly moist with tears that he was having difficulty holding back, he stood up and steeled himself to face Athrun's expected vehemence towards him, only to find out Athrun standing in front of him with a face so plain, it looked almost unfeeling.

He was ashamed and at the same time angry with himself for keeping things only to himself and not telling his best friend about it. He was afraid of rejection, losing the only thing that his heart values the most: his friendship with Athrun. But there are certain lines that cannot be crossed.

"If all these times you didn't trust me entirely, I'll make myself worthy of your trust"

He stood up and bade Athrun a flat goodbye. On the other hand, Athrun was speechless.

"Okay class let us hear an essay on TOEs by Mr. Yamato. I know that you are very much aware that the essay is irrelevant to our topic but I think it's worth it." Ms. Badgiruel said loudly for her whole class to hear. Her hair was tucked into a tight bun and her spectacles glistened with an ominous glow.

Her class seemed to be equally enthusiastic with every student informed ahead of time that Kira, their "favorite classmate" will be reading an essay to them. Kira was always generous when it came to their weekly tests and he never failed them even once; including Athrun who was anxiously waiting in his seat for the brunette to arrive, eager to apologize even he has to do it in front of the whole class.

Removing a stray lock of azure hair from his face, he looked out into the window, which was almost covered by snowflakes that were relentlessly falling down from the dim sky. He was thinking about Kira's attitude toward him the previous night. The image of Kira's countenance flaring up because of anger was a rare site and he never dreamed of seeing it again even in his dreams.

A few minutes more and the room was filled with louder buzzing as a result of the growing volume of the students' conversations. Ms. Badgiruel had to silence the whole class by banging her fist into the blackboard several times. Then, the door of the room burst open revealing a Kira who was busy panting heavily. It looked like he was being chased by stampeding horses.

Everyone's eyes darted into his direction. Wasting no time, he said, "Good morning everyone. I apologize for coming late." He gave Ms. Badgiruel a smile and without receiving further instructions, he went up to the lectern and prepared to read his essay. Period. He didn't even try to find Athrun among the crowd like he usually does.

Athrun noticed the odd behavior and mentally punched himself for losing control of his words last night. Now Kira was really angry with him or maybe Kira did not notice him at all.

And Kira began reading his essay.

Ms. Badgiruel has found a liking on Kira's way of expressing his opinion and ideas by engaging in a debate with her especially at times when their ideas are completely contradicting. She found it challenging up to a certain degree. On the first day of class, she nearly came to a conclusion that Kira was just a lousy nobody who came from an underdeveloped archipelago somewhere in the Pacific, yet, she was very wrong when she found out the truth behind Kira Yamato.

She was appalled at Kira's skills in and out of the classroom even though his class with her is only an extra unit. A colleague in her faculty revealed that Kira was no ordinary Natural. This colleague of hers chanced to see Kira in the library explaining the superstring theory to a bunch of physics freshmen using a plain blackboard where computations filled it to a point that it became so complicated that it all looked gibberish.

"I assure you, the boy is a genius, but they are so rare now these days. Physics is a thing of the past for kids today. I wonder why he's so interested in it."

"I'm not so sure what to answer as well. You see, he's an HRM student and he only attends my class because he wants to complete a degree in education with a science major."

"AT THAT AGE! My God he's only 16!"

"Is he a coordinator?"

"I'm not sure about it. Every student in this university is a coordinator and he's the exception. I already looked at his records the first day we met."

"Why? Did you have suspicions?"

"No, I didn't. I just had a queer feeling about him."

Kira's essay was interesting enough to lure a fourth grader into the mysterious world of theoretical physics. His careful placement of humor in his composition and the simplification of words helped his listeners kill boredom and most importantly, understand everything that he was saying.

While the brunette was reading, Athrun could not take his mind off from his fascination on how Kira managed to write his essay overnight. From his own summary, Kira left his house fifteen minutes after ten. In approximation, he would have arrived at the dorms at almost eleven, so it was still possible to write his essay, only until the wee hours of the morning. He thought more of the possibilities than to listen to Kira's essay as he looked outside the window.

Taking a walk in the grounds that day was impossible, he thought. The earth, as he observed, was frozen solid and the temperature piercing – and he still wasn't sure if he should be in speaking terms with Kira again. He dwelled on the memory of last night's event and it still troubled him to a certain degree.

Down at the lectern, Kira looked up to see if Athrun was listening to him. To his dismay, his friend wasn't so he continued reading on even if Athrun wasn't listening.

Then, from out of the blue, a sharp, almost physically incisive pain shot through his chest that forced him to clutch the wooden panel of the lectern tightly. He tried to conceal what he felt so as not to disrupt the class. Everyone thought he was catching up to his breath but it was quite a long pause before he resumed.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One. The same excruciating pain swamped into Kira's head. The pain was far more stabbing that it blurred his vision, eventually bringing him down to his knees. Seeing this, everyone stood up from their seats, including Athrun who swiftly dashed to Kira's side.

"Kira, what's happening to you? Please tell me!" Athrun shouted frantically. Ignoring what other people might say, he contained Kira in is arms and embraced him tightly.

"A-Ath-Athrun...I'm sorry..." Kira whispered feebly, eyes shut, hands slowly locking into Athrun's arms. Despite the pain, Kira still remained focused and was still aware of what's happening to his surroundings. 'This is it,' he thought as he concentrated all his remaining energy to prepare for a blissful experience he had been expecting to happen a long time ago.

He tried his best to override the pain with happy memories both from his past and present life. Deep down, he was smiling, knowing that Athrun will be at his side to take charge of him once he slips into the edge. His heart began to relax, pumping blood at a slower pace in a steady rhythm. He tried to say one more word just to tell Athrun that he is still alive, but he had no more control over speech. Eventually, his muscles eased causing his hands to unclench from Athrun's and his face be stripped off of all his remaining expression of pain, returning to its blank, serene state.

"Please Kira. Please stay awake," Athrun said in a nervous tone. He didn't know why he felt that way. He never felt so nervous in his life before. If things would be weighed down, his feelings for Kira would be the main cause and the feeling of uncertainty that roams around him now due to Kira's present condition would only worsen the anxiety he feels. It's not normal for an Athrun to feel nervous but somehow, he feels it physically up to certain extent that his eyes became brimming with tears.

The last thing Kira heard was Athrun's distant voice, sobbing beside him. Maybe the boy was thinking that he was already dead.

"Silly Athrun," he thought while he slowly succumbing to the satiating feeling of drowsiness. "When will he ever learn to check for a pulse?" Then all his remaining senses were shut down and everything was shrouded by a vast blanket of deafening silence. Kira fell asleep and an internal process of reanimation began.

It had been a month, two weeks, six days, two hours, 25 minutes and 34 seconds. Kira lay peacefully asleep in his hospital bed. He showed no signs of waking up and the doctors can't keep themselves from being dubious about Kira's abnormal "bag o' bones".

They ran every possible test on him but they failed to gain feasible results. Except for the fact that Kira already had an infection in his upper respiratory system, as showed by the preliminary diagnosis, but it was not an acceptable conclusion that can justify why Kira is in coma. The least that they did was treat Kira's already advancing pulmonary infection, which, posed another puzzle for them.

Antibiotics administered intravenously into him were rejected by his body from time to time. His body had a perfect way of rejecting foreign chemicals entering its premises by releasing an unknown enzyme that greatly reduces the permeability of his cells. They gave up hope eventually and concluded that Kira was "a questionable by-product of nature's goodness". They had to solely rely on Kira's immune system for his own recovery.

One thing was sure for them though; Kira was nowhere near his grave. All his vital signs remained stable. It was a real ray of sunshine for them and for Athrun, who once tried to shake Kira awake. It took several male nurses to wrestle him out of Kira's recovery room.

When he did lighten up, he went to the flower shop and bought a bunch of the bluest roses known to humanity that came all the way from an island in Sweden. He purposefully chose the blue roses to complement the whiteness of Kira's room, and placed them straight into a clear glass vase. Although for him, Kira alone made the room look animated – even in his unconscious state.

When afternoon came, Kira's attending physician came to check on Kira's condition. Upon her entrance into the room, she quickly took notice on the roses that weren't there the other day. She went over to the vase and fixed the arrangement of the flowers.

"You shouldn't shoot it into the vase like shooting garbage into the waste can. You…," she said as she removed extra leaves from the rose stalks, "…should do it with style."

"If you place flowers carelessly, they won't look good and will lose their dignity causing them to wilt easily," she continued.

"It does look better that way," Athrun remarked, noticing the abrupt change of the flowers' effect on the room.

"Well, of course it does. Now, let me take a look on your friend over here," the doctor said as-a-matter-of-factly and then walked over to Kira's bedside.

Her daily routine on checking the brunette's condition made her somehow attached to the kid and his friend. The happy college life that Athrun often talked about during the past days greatly gave her an advanced score of information about him and her patient. These led her to suspect that the two might be more than just friends but are simply unaware of it.

Two college students whose lives revolve exclusively around each other, for her, is a pretty picture to look at. So it would be bad to lose the other one to a disease that who the hell knows where it came from. It would ruin the image. It inspired her even more to take extra care of her patient. Everyday, she would spend hours searching for a possible cure to her patient's illness in medical books and in some of her personal journals.

"Today is a beautiful day isn't it?" the doctor said after a moment of hesitation. She could not stand the silence anymore.

"I agree. Everything is covered in white." Athrun answered her morosely as he watched snow flakes fall from the sky down to the frozen ground where they would eventually melt, ending a short phase of the water cycle. How the snow mocks him, he thought. Days looked terribly dull, literally, for him without Kira to laugh around and talk with.

"He likes snow, haven't I told you?" Athrun said as he moved from the wall where he was leaning to Kira's bed where he seated himself quite comfortably close to the other youth.

"Really?" the doctor replied cheerfully, very opposite from Athrun's lethargic mood, while taking Kira's blood pressure. The doctor demonstrated a talent for multitasking as Athrun observed. It proved that doctors have a keen sense for everything. Manually taking a blood pressure with a "sphyg" and talking to someone at the same time can be quite a difficult undertaking. Nonetheless the doctor made it with no difficulty. It made Athrun wish that he had that kind of ability too for him to observe Kira closely without giving away his cover. Too bad he doesn't notice that he has a stronger sense of understanding for other people's feelings, especially for Kira but his carelessness overshadows it.

"I only found it the night before he got sick. We had a row that night," Athrun recalled briefly as flashbacks of their argument refreshed his memory.

"And I assume that it was your fault why you had a row with him. Prove me wrong," the doctor said omnisciently. It's as if she saw the flashing images of the argument going on inside Athrun's mind.

"No, you're right," Athrun admitted, brows furrowed, "I went on with my words telling him to spit out every fragment of truth about his real background so that I can learn to fully trust him."

The doctor smiled at him and jeered, "That was pretty rude of you to say that directly to his face. Poor boy must be really hurt. Tsk, tsk tsk…No, no, no…. don't try to give me that irrational reasoning…." The doctor interjected immediately before Athrun could even react. It clarified his doubt that this doctor was capable of skimming human thoughts at the mere sight of their facial expressions

She continued, "…..I get your point. But you were in the brink of accusing him of being a liar. No one wants to be called a liar in a way or another. You hurt his feelings. Are you even sure that you are not hiding anything from him too?"

Athrun brought a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes, sucking huge vats of air before breathing out again. He was unintentionally found guilty by a doctor.

'God, she knows how to talk. She's right…. I forced Kira into admitting things when I know for myself that I'm hiding many things from him too.'

The thought of dismissing the discussion crossed his mind but a part of him insisted that he should go on with the small talk even though that small talk was discussing an extremely personal subject. He had to accept the doctor's third opinion for the nth time!

"And besides, the trust that you are talking about is a complicated matter that people inside a relationship tend to overlook most of the time," the doctor said in a suddenly stern tone, stressing each word carefully for her listener to hear clearly.

She strode past Athrun and adjusted the blinds of the windows and added, "I know how it feels not to be trusted by the people around you."

The azure-haired boy gave a sigh, sad somewhat, and pondered over what the lady said. He dropped his head and rested it on Kira's pillow, facing that admirably immaculate face sideways. He felt a deep sense of guilt and regret for having said those hurtful words to Kira. More than anyone else in the world, he should be the one to understand him the most. Although he didn't mean it, it was still an act of negligence.

It's over and done, he thought. He reached for Kira's hand under the thick blanket and held it with both of his', feeling its contrasting texture. The roughness of Kira's hand made him more imperfect, and it made Athrun happier, knowing that Kira was just another normal human being, with his own set of flaws, and, with his own brand of beauty. A rare kind of beauty far more perfect than anything else by his standards. The beauty that he fondly calls - simplicity.

"Oh Kira, even when you're asleep, you still manage to stab my conscience," Athrun whispered, "If you only know how much you mean to me. Please wake up."

Athrun's eyes were suddenly brimming with tears. Tears of yearning flowed down his cheeks to Kira's hand that he was holding. He cried for the same reason. He cried because he was hoping that Kira's subconscious might actually hear his childish sobs and wake up for him. He cried because he was unsure of what was going to follow. He never felt so close to a person before. There were times that he almost thought that what he feels for Kira as a friend might be deeper than normal friendship. It made him more confused though. He thought that what he "thought" was wrong but a little corner in his mind tells him that it isn't, adding up to all the confusion in his head.

Yet, no matter how feeble his voice was, the doctor still chanced to hear what he said. As fast a bolt of lightning, her suspicion was confirmed. She smiled and left the room stealthily, slowly closing the door behind her to leave the two souls in their moment of silence. "A little more understanding…" she said to herself while walking contently to her next patient feeling fulfilled for the first time in years. Then she adjusted her I.D. pin that bore the words, Astrid C. Porter, MD.

Snow fell incessantly still. Athrun cried his heart out until he fell asleep. Darkness eventually fell. And peace reigned throughout the night, and in line with the passing of time, the night was robbed of its blackness as the light of a new morning crept its way to the world, leaving in its path, patches of murky twilight.


End file.
